A New Pace
by Drunken Vickster
Summary: Learning to walk together requires a little push and pull


Author's Notes: I posted this a while ago at the ShizuNatsu livejournal community (full of awesome peeps, in case you weren't aware), and I decided to put this up here because I keep losing the file. Plus, I like to pretend I keep my account updated.

* * *

Natsuki felt safe. Relatively. She was walking in public in broad daylight, with dozens of people around, and was wearing pants and sensible shoes to facilitate possible attempts on her part to flee. All of these safeguards were necessary when going on a date with the woman in step beside her. In clear view of the public, Shizuru was less likely to put her hands in awkward places or get too close. In fact, as they walked down the sidewalk, with Shizuru dressed in a summer-y dress and with her hands safely clutching a small purse and Natsuki's own appendages jammed in her pockets, they appeared to be nothing more than classmates, strolling through the neighborhood on their afternoon off. If it wasn't for Shizuru's serenely content smile that she deigned to bestow onto her companion at varying intervals, they might have been mistaken for strangers to each other.

Closer inspection would reveal that they were walking together, however. Natsuki had a difficult time adjusting to Shizuru's sedate--in her opinion, sluggish--stride, and constantly released energy in every direction to compensate for their extremely slow pace. But she didn't force Shizuru to hasten, especially if that meant having to grab a hold of Shizuru's hand, wrist, or arm to do so. That blasted woman's hands were safely away from Natsuki's body, just as the biker preferred them, and she would not be the one to dislodge them.

She was getting used to the pace, anyway. Only recently had they been doing things together that warranted travel by walking. Two weeks ago, they went to the museum, ostensibly for a school assignment of Natsuki's. Last week, they had a picnic in the park that was, against Natsuki's expectations, fairly nice. And now this.

As usual, Shizuru had begged off them riding on Natsuki's bike. "Ara, I'll be wearing a dress," she would reason. She would counter Natsuki's argument that she could ride 'side-saddle' with a pout and puppy eyes. "But the hair that I will have worked on for hours in preparation for our outing will be ruined by the helmet, wind, or both." Breathing out loudly through her nose, Natsuki would, as usual, capitulate and take the subway with its aggravating crush of people. Though it was nice to walk up the steps onto level ground and see Shizuru appear before her, smiling and creating a bubble of calm around her that stretched to Natsuki and blocked out the rest of the world filled with subway travelers, food vendors and loud advertisements.

Even as they walked, their protective bubble seemed to push through the crowd and despite being spread apart and taking up unnecessary space, they were not jostled. It was as if the people walking by noted the stunning Kyoto beauty's radiance and took pains to avoid running into her. That's what Natsuki reasoned.

Today's excursion was a movie. Natsuki was leery of the idea of being in a darkened room with Shizuru, even if they would be surrounded by people, but the red-eyed woman had convinced her to come by promising it would be a horror movie, there would be many, many people present, and that the good behavior of the last two weeks was a pattern that would continue.

They arrived at the theater just in time for the 2 o'clock showing of _The Rocky Horror Picture Show_. Natsuki noted the sign for the movie, with its words that she didn't quite understand--she really missed way too many English classes--but noticeably written in a frightening font. She and Shizuru bought their tickets separately, and entered the theater. Natsuki looked around the theater, and her eyebrows furrowed when she noticed that the theater seemed to be just like any other theater. Why had Shizuru insisted they go out of their way to come to this one?

At the entrance of theater number 8, two ushers stood in very strange clothing. One was a man, and he grabbed their tickets. "Have you ever been to a show before?" he asked politely. Natsuki automatically said "No," while Shizuru at the same time said, "Yes." The other usher, a small woman, suddenly pounced on Natsuki with a tube of lipstick and somehow managed to write something on the shocked biker's face.

"What the HELL?" Natsuki shouted at the short woman, who seemed nonplused.

"All virgins must have a "V" painted on their forehead," the woman said, placing her hands on her hips as Natsuki's face exploded with blush. "Though your squirming made it look more like a hooked beak."

Natsuki whirled on Shizuru, who looked back with her nonchalant smile and was now holding two sacks. "Let's enter, Natsuki. Sounds like fun, ne?"

The dark haired woman would not be so easily derailed from her mortification. "She called me a virgin and put this lipstick on me!" She was too embarrassed to note her childish words.

"Ara, but aren't you a virgin, Natsuki?" Shizuru asked, innocently tilted her head in thought. "I was pretty sure you were..."

The redness of Natsuki's face made Shizuru a little worried for the blood supply missing from Natsuki's brain. "SO!? And how did she know?!?!" Natsuki wondered if she was wearing something that only virgins wore.

Shizuru gave her companion a placating smile and led Natsuki inside the doors as the woman busily thought. "I believe," she began after they were inside the theater, "that she meant to say that it was your first time to this show."

Natsuki let that sink in as they walked down the aisle. So engrossed was she in thought--and the blood so slowly returning to her brain--that she didn't notice the other patrons of the theater until she bumped into one. Her eyes traveled up the muscular body of a man wearing only a gold speedo, his hair dyed platinum blonde. Natsuki couldn't suppress the unconscious desire to rub off the feeling of his bare skin from her arm. Staring, she turned around only to face a man in leather underwear and a huge afro, a woman with Frankenstein hair, and another man dressed as a scruffy rocker with a head wound.

Natsuki wondered if she had suffered her own head wound and was hallucinating that she was in the movie somehow. A strong hand gripped hers. "This way," a Kyoto-ben floated to her ears, and still shocked and frozen, Natsuki was pulled towards some seats and when she felt Shizuru's hands on her shoulders, she sat down. The other woman sat beside her, just as the lights dimmed slightly.

The crowd cheered. Natsuki suddenly turned to her companion. "Wait, does this mean you've seen this before?"

Credits began to appear on the screen, and then suddenly a group of people dressed in similarly insane clothing as many people in the theater ran out and began acting out the movie below the screen. Natsuki was a little disturbed, but attempted to enjoy it, since Shizuru must have to come back again. Or maybe she brought Natsuki because she knew she would react like this. This sort of perverted thing was right up Shizuru's alley.

Natsuki had a bit of trouble following the plot, since she was trying to read the subtitles and watch the movie and the people, but after a while she managed to get the hang of it. Then there was the audience shouting and the use of some of the things in the small paper bags they were given at the entrance, which was amusing. It was all very quirky and weird and a little funny and she managed to handle everything until the female lead, Janet, began to sing her song.

_I was feeling done in_

_Couldn't win_

_I'd only ever kissed before_

_I thought there's no use getting_

_Into heavy petting_

_It only leads to trouble_

_And seat wetting_

_Now all I want to know_

_Is how to go_

_I've tasted blood and I want more _

Natsuki was floored to witness Shizuru singing along, and even dancing in her seat a little. An actor on the stage ran out into the crowd and started grabbing people, and unfortunately Natsuki was one of them.

"Toucha-toucha-toucha touch me, I want to be di-i-rty"

Coupled with the suggestive words, writhing theater patrons and actors, and Shizuru's pleasant voice still lingering in her ear, Natsuki was suddenly overwhelmed and bolted. She crept sideways away from the crowd and then streaked down the side aisle, not slowing down until she was through every door and outside. The dazzling sunlight left her disoriented for a second so she leaned against the outer wall of the theater, catching her breath and feeling the sweat evaporate from her body. She stared at her Converse sneakers, drawing from the familiarity but wondering why they looked different.

A shadow fell over her shoes, and Natsuki knew it was Shizuru. "I apologize, Natsuki," the brunette said. Her voice was hesitant and very different from the lovely singing voice Natsuki had just heard from her. She vowed that the next time she was dragged to karaoke with Mai that Shizuru would definitely have to sing and not spend her time merely coercing Natsuki to try on different outfits.

"I guess... we should go home now."

Any sign of disappointment or shame was gone from Shizuru's voice, a sure sign that these were the feelings she was truly experiencing. Natsuki took a deep breath and wiped her palms of sweat. Gathering herself, she closed her eyes and said, stoically, "We can go back inside, if you want." She opened an eye to see Shizuru looking at her with a carefully controlled expression.

"But Natsuki doesn't like it."

Natsuki dragged a hand through her raven locks. "I just... don't want to share these things with those strangers." A man in fishnet stockings and women's lingerie ran by, hollering in a high, girlish voice for a taxi. "Those crazy, insane strangers," she amended. She turned back to Shizuru, who had hung her head slightly, hiding her eyes under her bangs. Hands still in her pockets, Natsuki bent over, checking the woman's face to see if she was hiding her amusement. She was met by a rare, contrite expression on Shizuru's face, and, after finally catching Shizuru's attention and locking eyes, she straightened and brought Shizuru's gaze up to her face. In the sunlight, in the warm afternoon, Shizuru glowed, her face open for scrutiny. Natsuki noticed a tiny freckle on the other woman's right eyelid.

From that small point, the world suddenly shifted and then expanded. "I would only want to discuss things like that with my significant other," she began, pausing as if about to deliver bad news. "So if you want to ask me about that stuff, can we at least go somewhere more private?" She kept her eyes locked on Shizuru's but couldn't help her arms crossing in front of her. She watched the contraction and expansion of Shizuru's pupils.

Shizuru suddenly moved, not saying a word, and Natsuki looked down immediately. It wasn't until she felt something soft and cool on her forehead that she knew that Shizuru had taken a handkerchief from her purse. Carefully she wiped away at the lipstick 'V' still emblazoned on Natsuki's forehead.

"Does this mean that I'm Natsuki's 'significant other'?" Shizuru asked quietly, so softly that the wind brought her voice only to Natsuki's ears. "Your girlfriend?" Natsuki watched as, miraculously, a blush spread across Shizuru's cheeks, down her neck, and interestingly disappeared under the front of her dress. She nodded dumbly but quickly, dispelling any doubts in Shizuru's countenance. The older woman's eyebrows rose towards her hairline and her lips parted slightly in breathless surprise.

Spontaneously, Natsuki bent over and lightly kissed her, barely grazing Shizuru's lips but sending a jolt down her back, making her shiver despite the warm sun. She stood back up straight, suddenly finding her clothing needed minute adjustment and dusting and looking everywhere but at the red-eyed woman across from her.

Her eyes flew back to Shizuru's face, however, when the older woman grabbed Natsuki's arm and lead them down the sidewalk, back towards the subway station. "Um, Shizuru, where are we going?" Natsuki asked, her normally harsh voice softened by Shizuru's arm linked with hers and hip bumping into her every other step.

The woman from Kyoto gave her a cheerful smile. "I'm taking my girlfriend to the nearest takoyaki stand and buying as many as she wants, with as much mayonnaise as she desires on top." She squeezed Natsuki's arm. "Is that all right with her?" Her face was glowing and she seemed to be floating, making her way down the sidewalk in a relaxed stroll.

Natsuki's face loosened into a smile for the first time that day as she fell into step with Shizuru and squeezed her hand in return, finding it much easier to maintain their slow pace when attached.


End file.
